Short Story Collections Books - Page 5

M Is for Magic

Neil Gaiman

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 16 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

M is for Morbid 2 out of 5 stars.
7 of 14 people found this review helpful.

This small anthology contains 10 short stories and one bad poem. It clearly presents itself as a children's book (for "ages 10 and up" according to the flap), and many of the stories were apparently selected for elements that many superficially associate with Children's Literature, such as child protagonists, a sentient toy, a heroic animal, a mythical creature or some nursery rhyme references.

However, the pretence that this is a Children's Book is a cynical marketing deception. With the possible exception of "The Witch's Headstone", none of the stories here were originally written for children, nor have any been substantially altered for that audience. I did notice that at least one story ("Troll Bridge"), had received some very minor editing to remove some of the more blatant adult language and references (which in no way detracts from the tale anything of value, IMHO), but it remains a highly adult-themed (and disturbing) tale.

But the most inappropriate thing about this book is its promotion of suicidal ideas. The worst offender is "October in the Chair," which starts with a boy running away from home, and ends with his decision to throw away his life in pursuit of the sanctuary of the graveyard. This could be read as a horror story - and I suppose a healthy child would indeed be horrified by it. But it does not read as horror. It reads as a dark fantasy -- an advertisement for child suicide.

Suicidal themes are further explored in "Troll Bridge," which is not quite so bad as "October..." in that it at least suggests that a child might want to wait until he has some experience of life - which mainly means experience of sex - before he ultimately and inevitably decides to throw away his worthless life.

"Witch's Headstone," the last story in the volume, also adds to the theme, but indirectly. It is about young boy who lives in a graveyard under the protection of its apparently-benevolent ghosts. The graveyard appears as a (somewhat bleak) sanctuary, while the living world outside is portrayed as evil and threatening. I do not object to this positive portrayal of a graveyard sanctuary, since there is no indication that our hero got to this juncture via suicide (in fact, he is refered to as the "live boy"). The problem arises because this appears in the same volume as "October...", and the situations are so similar that it almost that it might be a sequel. It seems to resolve the ambiguous ending of "October..." in favor of the idea that the suicidal act at the end of that story was a good idea.

Nonetheless, I might have thought that "...Headstone," viewed strictly on its own (rather than as a follow-up to "October..."), was a tolerable kids' horror fantasy, containing some genuinely imaginative and creepy situations. However, it contains yet another terrible flaw. One character, who the author clearly intends as sympathetic, is the ghost of a witch who, as revenge for her execution, curses an entire village to a painful death. Wait ... sorry - it was not quite the ENTIRE village. "Just those that watched me get burned and drowned," explains this mass-murderess (with a shrug) when our boy hero inquires on this issue. That seems to make it okay in Gaiman's mind. In short not only does Gaiman suggest (in "October...") that our kids ought to kill themselves, but he also suggests (in "... Headstone") that they might want to slaughter half the community on their way out, on the flimsiest of justifications.

Setting aside the volume's unsuitability for kids, and viewing it simply as a slim collection of adult stories, it remains a mixed bag. "The Price," about a mysterious stray cat, is the best story here. Others, such as "Troll Bridge" are memorably horrific and disturbing, though I hesitate to call them good. Still others, such as "The Case of the Four and Twenty Blackbirds" and "How to Sell the Ponti Bridge", are just pointless tales that try too hard to be clever, and fail. Many of the stories (even "The Price") are underdeveloped - Gaiman seems to think that not finishing or adequately developing a story is a good way to create an illusion of depth. Almost all of the stories here can be found in earlier, larger, collections (The best ones are from SMOKE AND MIRRORS, while others are from FRAGILE THINGS). The only advantage to this slim volume is that it spares the reader exposure to some of Gaiman's more degraded dark fantasies.

Still, the stench of moral decay is not absent here, and virtually all the stories display a disturbing indifference to morality. "...Blackbirds" celebrates the principle that one must "look out for number one." When, in "Troll Bridge", the hero offers first his sister, then his girlfriend, to the troll in order to ransom himself, there is never any clear indication that the author feels that he ought to have behaved otherwise. "...Ponti Bridge" celebrates the glorious achievements of a con-man. "Sunbird" seems to celebrate, as though it were merely funny, a happy-go-lucky rascal who casually murders all his friends (for unexplained motives) in the course of obtaining immortality for himself.

"The Price" is the closest thing to an exception. The protagonist is a coward, as always, but the same cannot be said for the mysterious, self-sacrificing Cat who suffers for his sins. It is the only story here that strongly suggests the possibility of Good as well as Evil, and that is why it is my favorite.

Editorial Review:

Master storyteller Neil Gaiman presents a breathtaking collection of tales for younger readers that may chill or amuse, but that always embrace the unexpected:

• Humpty Dumpty's sister hires a private detective to investigate her brother's death.
• A teenage boy who has trouble talking to girls finds himself at a rather unusual party.
• A boy raised in a graveyard makes a discovery, and confronts the much more troubling world of the living.

Ballerina Girl (My First Reader)

Kirsten Hall

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 2 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Great book for beginner readers! 5 out of 5 stars.
9 of 11 people found this review helpful.

This is a great book for beginner readers. Both of my girls (ages 4 and 5) love it. I would definitely recommend it.

Ballerina Girl review 5 out of 5 stars.
9 of 9 people found this review helpful.

This is an excellent first reader book. The book contains 33 easy to recognize words that are repeated. The story is also presented in rhyme. Pictures provide clues to the text and add to the story's depth.

Editorial Review:

Young children wil love larning to read with these storybooks. Once they can recognize and identify the words used to tell each story, the will be able to successfully read on their own. Features a word list.

Long Night Moon

Cynthia Rylant

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 6 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

not just for bedtime 5 out of 5 stars.
19 of 19 people found this review helpful.

i read this book late at night in the winter time during the full moon, and was so taken with the artwork, i stayed awake to reread and reread it. the landscape really caught me, i could feel it and smell it, it felt like i was walking through this panorama. i loved looking at each page to see how it connected to the page before, how the road got closer, then further away as i kept walking. when i read the book to my kindergartners, they were awed and silent. they loved finding some of the hidden art in the drawings, looking for the wolf in the sky was their favorite. this is a magical book, which leaves you feeling hushed, peaceful, happy.

Many delightful moments for parent and child 5 out of 5 stars.
15 of 15 people found this review helpful.

This book is a remarkable achievement. Rylant's simple yet moving and profound poems capture the magic and wonder of the night-time, and they have been further brought to life - and to light, amazingly so, in a rich diversity of luminous grays, blues, purples - by the illustrator.

Reading it with my five-year-old niece, who has often been afraid alone at night, was truly delightful: Long Night Moon brings out the richness, softness and intimacy of the nocturnal environment, in a way that a child finds reassuring.

The journey of the seasons is shown in snapshots, panning along a 360° view of the same landscape, bringing us back, at December's Long Night Moon, to the homey scene of the beginning. It gives a feeling of completeness and harmony, one more of the very successful uses of symbolism and imagery by this author/illustrator pair who were very fortunate to find one another.

I've recommended this book to several friends, who told me it also gave them very pleasant reading experiences with the children in their life.

Editorial Review:

Text and illustrations depict the varied seasonal full moons that change and assume personalities of their own throughout the year.

Read All About It!: Great Read-Aloud Stories, Poems, and Newspaper Pieces for Preteens and Teens

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 5 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

A nice variety of short pieces 5 out of 5 stars.
28 of 29 people found this review helpful.

My students really enjoyed the selections I read to them from the book. It is great resource to have on hand when you've finished your lesson and there is still five minutes left in class. It is also terrific to have for those studyhall kids who never seem to have any work ... toss it to them and say, "Have a look at this." In two minutes, they are silent, usually for the rest of the period.

FANTASTIC STORIES 5 out of 5 stars.
27 of 28 people found this review helpful.

I am a read aloud mom to 4th graders, and each and every story I have read from this book to the class has them CAPTIVATED! I was trying to decide on a favorite, but they are ALL so good!! The book has stories that truly touch your heart. It has fiction and nonfiction, humor, satire, tragedy, biography, short pieces; long pieces. Jim Trealease also does a great job introducing the authors which are stories within themselves. I can't say enough about this book. If you have anyone you wish would read more rather than watch TV, purchase this. It will definitely get their interest, and the students may purchase some of the books after reading one of the interesting chapters, and the life of the author Jim Trelease writes about. The 4th grade class I read to, are asking that very question (what is the name of that book and the author).

Editorial Review:

A selection of writing from various media features newspaper columns by Bob Greene, Mike Royko, and Pete Hamill; articles on sports, popular culture, and other topics; autobiographical sketches by Moss Hart, Maya Angelou, and others; and acclaimed fiction.

Dangerous Journey: The Story of Pilgrim's Progress

Oliver Hunkin

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 22 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Wonderful Book 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

I have been read and read this book since I was a small child. It is one of the best books I have ever read. I would recommend this book to anyone. I bought a book for myself as well as a friend to have to read to my children when I have them. This book brings back wonderful memories of my childhood.

Wonderful retelling of Bunyan's The Pilgrim's Progress-Full of Wisdom 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

It isn't often that I would recommend an abridged or adapted version of a book, but Bunyan's version is difficult for most people. My son and I first borrowed this version from the library a few years ago. He has talked about it so many times since then (he is ten now), that I just purchased it for him. He even insisted on giving a copy of it to one of his best friends for his birthday. It's a book full of wisdom. I can't imagine a person seeking wisdom would be disappointed in this book.

Editorial Review:

John Bunyan's timeless story of Pilgrim's Progress is told again for a new generation. Brilliantly illustrated throughout in full color by Alan Parry. poems, thoughts, and meditations celebrating joy and friendshipossible way.nd application.nd more.

Edgar Allan Poe's Tales of Mystery and Madness

Edgar Allan Poe, Gris Grimly

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 16 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Mystery & Madness Indeed! What Fun!! 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

Gently abridged seems to be the phrase of choice associated with this book...and it is an apt choice indeed. In this volume we have four classic Poe tales "gently abridged" for readers 12 and up. The age range shown on Amazon is 9-12 and while some 9 year olds might "get" these stories, they will probably be best appreciated by slightly older readers as there is a lot of subtlety to the work. Gus Grimly's magnificently macabre illustrations help bring the text to life and help draw the reader into the story. The four stories covered here are: The Black Cat, The Masque of the Red Death, Hop-Frog and the Fall of the House of Usher. This volume would make a fine introduction to Edgar Allan Poe's work for young readers and would certainly be welcome as a collectable item for those who love picture books and/or are fans of Poe's work already. Grimly's illustrated version is almost manga like but still retains the readability of a regular book...so really the best of both worlds and a format that young readers are likely to identify with and enjoy. I give it 5 stars and two thumbs up. A great introduction to Poe for young readers and a fun read for those of us who simply enjoy Poe's work and like illustrated versions of classic texts.

Editorial Review:

A sweet little cat drives a man to insanity and murder....

The grim death known as the plague roams a masquerade ball dressed in red....

A dwarf seeks his final revenge on his captors....

A sister calls to her beloved twin from beyond the grave....

Prepare yourself. You are about to enter a world where you will be shocked, terrified, and, though you'll be too scared to admit it at first, secretly thrilled. Here are four tales -- The Black Cat, The Masque of the Red Death, Hop-Frog, and The Fall of the House of Usher -- by the master of the macabre, Edgar Allan Poe. The original tales have been ever so slightly dismembered -- but, of course, Poe understood dismemberment very well. And he would shriek in ghoulish delight at Gris Grimly's gruesomely delectable illustrations that adorn every page. So prepare yourself. And keep the lights on.

The Jacket I Wear in the Snow

Shirley Neitzel

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 4 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

book fan from oklahoma 4 out of 5 stars.
10 of 10 people found this review helpful.

This book is excellent for children. Through all of the articles of clothing that he puts on, they can begin to count, a good math lesson. They can also participate while you read the story aloud through the pictures of the clothes instead of the word. I loved this book and am adding it to my collection.

Creative winter fun! 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

This is a destined winter classic for the preschool set. Interesting though because of its wonderful potential for creative expression, the building story can hold the attention of older children and yes, even adults. I have read the story aloud at winter parties for children as an interactive activity speaking in the voice of a little girl with various arm, hand, leg and feet motions. The children were enraptured with laughter as they started to imitate my movements and learn the lines of the little girl's frustration with her winter garb which builds and repeats much like "The House That Jack Built." Better yet was to watch the adults listening with giggles of their own as they watched the antics of their offspring. Hope this book is in print for a long long time. It is also an excellent book for the very little ones to hear and learn what to call their various body parts and winter specific clothing items. Add it to your collection!

Editorial Review:

Rhyme follows rhyme as layer after layer of winter clothing ("bunchy and hot, wrinkled a lot, stiff in the knee, and too big for me!") is first put on and then taken off to the relief of the child bundled inside. Clever rebuses and jaunty illustrations make The Jacket I Wear in the Snow especially fun for prereaders and new readers.

13: Thirteen Stories That Capture the Agony and Ecstasy of Being Thirteen

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 9 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

It is a collection anyone can enjoy. 5 out of 5 stars.
13 of 13 people found this review helpful.

Author Sandra Cisneros expressed in her story "Eleven" that when you are eleven years old, you are also ten, nine and eight, and so forth. Thirteen is no different. When you're thirteen, you're also twelve, eleven and ten, yet you're expected --- and even want --- to be fourteen, fifteen and sixteen. Being thirteen is a time of confusion and sometimes anger, but it's also a time of hope and wonder, and a chance to start exploring who you are and what you want to become.

Twelve authors and one poet, including teen fiction luminaries like Ron Koertge and Ellen Wittlinger, share thirteen stories that range from humorous to heartbreaking, all about the joy --- or the lack thereof --- of being thirteen years old. In Ann Martin and Laura Godwin's "Tina the Teen Fairy," a fairy visits Maia, who wants nothing more in life than not to turn thirteen, on the evening before her birthday. James Howe explores what a bar mitzvah means to one boy in "Jeremy Goldblatt is So Not Moses." As these authors show, it doesn't matter whether you're rich or poor, male or female, urban or rural --- there are some things about being thirteen that no one can escape.

13 is not a survival guide to anyone's thirteenth year; rather, it is a compilation of thoughts, memories and feelings that each author contributes to the reader. Instead of trying to guide the reader, these stories serve as sympathy and example. It is a collection anyone can enjoy, whether he/she is 13, 23 or 53.

--- Reviewed by Carlie Kraft Webber

Editorial Review:

"If thirteen is supposed to be an unlucky number...you would think a civilized society could come up with a way for us to skip it."

-- from "What's the Worst That Could Happen?" by Bruce Coville

No one will want to skip any of the twelve short stories and one poem that make up this collection by some of the most celebrated contemporary writers of teen fiction. The big bar mitzvah that goes suddenly, wildly, hilariously out of control. A first kiss -- and a realization about one's sexual orientation. A crush on a girl that ends up putting the boy who likes her in the hospital. A pair of sneakers a kid has to have. By turns funny and sad, wrenching and poignant, the moments large and small described in these stories capture perfectly the agony and ecstasy of being thirteen.

Bigmama's

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 2 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

A warm oportunity to reflect on special people and places. 5 out of 5 stars.
6 of 6 people found this review helpful.

Donald Crews departs from his usual simple text about such things as trucks and boats to share his childhood memories. The bold and colorful illustrations we usually find in his work are replaced by soft gentle colors and lines. Perhaps my endearment to this book stems from my own fond memories of riding the train back to my grandmother's home in Davenport, Iowa. Yet, there is more to this story than shared memories of days gone by. Even young children have memories of warm moments with someone special. As a first grade teacher I share this book with my students. It is a delight to see the special smiles that illuminate their faces, like the sweet smell of Spring, when they think of their special someone. For some children they think, like Crews, of grandma and her special cooking, for others their thoughts are of a visit to mom in a distant state. There thoughts are not meloncholy, like Crews, they are pleasant reminders of the treasures we find in each other.

Editorial Review:

When the train arrived in Cottondale, the summer at Bigmama's house in Florida began. Donald Crews brilliantly evokes the sights, sounds, and emotions of a memorable childhood experience. "A very special book by a superb artist and storyteller."--Horn Book.

The Milly-Molly-Mandy Storybook

Joyce Lankester Brisley

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 12 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

All kids should read this one! 5 out of 5 stars.
10 of 10 people found this review helpful.

What a sweet book! I'm 23 and always pre-read any books that i intend to give as gifts to the various kids i know. Usually i find that they eventually turn into scary stuff which isn't too good for the younger ones. When i read this story book i went out and got six copies, one for each of the young children i baby-sit, age ranging 3 to 9, even the 9 year old loved it. There is no violence, no bad language and is a wonderful way of showing young children how people lived in days gone by without taking on a lecturing tone. You know what, even the two young boys liked it!:-)

Editorial Review:

The stories of Milly-Molly-Mandy and her family and friends have charmed generations of children since they first appeared in 1925. This collection of twenty-one classic tales about this resourceful and thoughtful little girl reflect with accuracy the dilemmas and challenges of a child's world. Young children today will love to hear how Milly-Molly-Mandy decides to spend her first penny, looks after a hedgehog, and spends her first night away from home. These timeless stories are perfect for reading aloud, for older children to read by themselves, or as a story before bedtime, and will bring back many happy memories for many parents and grandparents. The book's endpaper feature a two-page map of Milly-Molly-Mandy's village complete with drawings of cottages, fields, streets, and shops making it easy for children to follow Milly-Molly-Mandy from place to place.